WEST WINDSOR — With its cross-shaped room, a large, round, stained-glass window, 100-foot tower and external suggestions of buttresses, the new sanctuary of Princeton Presbyterian Church is what its designer calls a medley of archetypes, with references to other churches, places and time periods, as well as Princeton University and the surrounding area.

“It is, within a modern expression, a very traditional church,” said Joseph Saphire of the design firm Saphire + Albarran in Pennington. “It’s not a copy, but it makes the visual references to what people understand a church to be.”

That complex architectural artistry has won the 28,000-square-foot addition to the church recognition from the National Association of Home Builders, whose commercial builders council gave the design an award for excellence this month.
Flanders-based Bossart Builders, the project’s builders, nominated Saphire for the award.

The council praised the building at 545 Meadow Road for using a variety of building materials while meeting the needs of the congregation and acknowledging “the design aesthetics of the surrounding community.”

The church’s pastor, the Rev. Ken Smith, said the new 750-person sanctuary and banquet hall were finished about six months ago at a cost of about $6 million. The new building replaces a much smaller sanctuary and allows the church to host weddings and other formal occasions. A second phase of work scheduled to begin next summer will convert the old sanctuary into meeting areas and expand existing preschool classrooms, Smith said.

The pastor, who started Princeton Presbyterian as a small prayer group at his house 30 years ago, said the expansion project has been six years in the making. Though it was a long process, Smith considers its progress a triumph.

“New churches just really aren’t being built,” he said. “To have a space like this constructed is a unique event.”

The function of the church is multifaceted, Smith said. The driving intention behind the design was to create a space to accommodate not only services but also community activities, he said. As someone who raised four kids in the area, Smith said he understands the frustration of finding local family-friendly activities.

“Besides the mall, it’s a real challenge to find anywhere to go. We really thought, what are the interests and needs of the community?” he said. “As good neighbors, we’ve hosted a wide range of events.”

Saphire and Smith said they consulted the Westminster Choir College and other local performing groups to help envision the sanctuary as a concert space. The church now hosts concerts at least twice a month.

“Groups have come away just thankful that there is a space like this,” Smith said. The addition is a “happy medium” for groups looking for a space that will host a large, but intimate crowd, he said. “A venue that can sit between 600 and 750 people is unique to this area.”

The sanctuary’s design references myriad buildings, from medieval churches to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Smith said. The new space includes a main altar situated at the center of the room’s cross shape, images of wheat carved on the pews, abstract images of wheat on the walls and a stained glass window depicting the seven days of creation.

Other features include the two-tiered roof system, which creates side aisles designed to minimize disturbances from people coming in late. References to buttresses can be seen from the outside and the 100-foot tower is reminiscent of Princeton, specifically the university and surrounding area, Smith said.

Windows lining both sides of the room assure that ample natural light pours into the church, an important component of the Christian message, he said.

Saphire + Albarran works primarily with nonprofit organizations such as schools, churches and hospitals, because those clients are personally invested in the projects, Saphire said.

“They are going to be the occupants of our space, so they really care,” he said. “We really enjoy the idea that they’re going to appreciate the detail and design.”